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Carew, Richard, 1555-1620

"The Survey of Cornwall And an epistle concerning the excellencies of the English tongue"

Yet for the most
part we avoid the blemish given to the Romanes in like Cases, who
distinguished their People by the Imperfections of their Bodies;
from whence grew their Nasones, Labeones, Frontones, Dentones,
and such like; however, Macrobius coloureth the same: Yea,
so significant are our Words, that amongst them sundry single ones
serve to express divers things; as by the word Bill is meant a Weapon,
a Scrowle, and a Bird's beake; by Grave may be understood, sober,
burial-place, and to carve; and so by Light, marke, match, file, sore,
and pray, the Semblables.
Again, some SENTENCES, in the same words carrie a divers Sence,
as till, desert Ground; some signifie one thing forward and another
backward, as Feeler I was, noe Foe; which to return with it is,
Of one saw I releef. Some signifie one thing forward and another
thing backward, as this, Eye, did Madam erre; Some carrie a contrarie
Sence backward to that they do forward, as I did level ere vew,
Vew ere level did I.
Some deliver a contrarie Sence by the divers pointing, as the
Epistle in Dr.


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